lS82 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



399 



with my bees, excepting for the handling- quality. 

 Would you recommend me to try further for better 

 breed, kind, or strain? I have been used to hand- 

 ling bec3 for forty years in the (}hl method, and 

 know pretty well ab3ut them, but knew nothing of 

 the new method till about one year ago. I have in- 

 creased my two swarms to seven. Last fall all win- 

 tered well, and I have now 15 good swarms, but they 

 are so cross I am about discouraged. 



George S. Paine. 

 Lexington, Mass., June 15, 1882. 



If yonr fifteen are all Italians, I am sure, 

 friend P., you will find some among them 

 gentle to handle. It may be accidental that 

 those you have seem to be cross, and I think 

 you will find at least a part of them '' civil " 

 when honey begins to come in freely. Gentle 

 bees may be just as good honey-gatherers, 

 and just as prompt to defend their stores as 

 any. Our imported queens generally have 

 gentle bees, and yet they are celebrated for 

 their industry and prompt defense of their 

 stores. 



THE WONDERFUL INSTINCT OV TRE BEES. 



The following has commenced going the 

 rounds of the papers:— 



An Australian correspondent furnishes interest- 

 ing proof of the provident and far-seeing instinct of 

 bees. Last year the drought in New South Wales 

 was of long duration, and the denizens of the apia- 

 ries suffered much from it. This year the bees have 

 made provision against a similar emergency by fill- 

 ing a large number of the e.\ternal ctUs in every 

 hive with pure water instead of honey. It is be- 

 lieved that their instinct leads them to anticipate a 

 hot summer and provide against it. 



No doubt Eomebody has found cells of 

 water in a bee-hive at the approach of hot 

 dry weather, but that the bees have planned 

 to keep it several months, or even weeks 

 ahead, is, I think, a mistake. Unless capped 

 over, it would very soon evaporate, and if 

 capped it must be thick ripened honey, or 

 water containing no honey at all, otherwise 

 itAvould sour. Again, the bees that store 

 the honey seldom live to eat it. and, worse 

 still, those that passed through the drought 

 of last year are none of them alive now. It 

 would be wonderful indeed, if they told the 

 story of their lack of water to the rising 

 generation, so they, in their turn, made pro- 

 vision for water for a generation yet to come 

 upon the stage. This beats any thing on 

 " water for bees" we have had yet. 



WATER FOR BEES, AND HOW TO GIVE IT. 



The way the bees go for the water every warm 

 day durmg early spring, is very good evidence that 

 they want it. If these warm days arc few and far 

 between, as they have been this spring, especially 

 the fore part of April, when we want our bees to 

 be breeding as fast as possible,! think to supply 

 them with water would hasten breeding, while it 

 would be retarded for the want of it. I do not think 

 it is very often necessary to water bees in winter. It 

 is clearly evident, that those that I gave water to 

 aro in advance of those not watered, in regard to 

 young bees and sealed brood; that is, the average 

 condition of those watered is the best. The way I 

 watered them was by placing small bottles and vials 

 of water on the frames. 1 picked up my bottles as 

 I could find them, some being small. A half-pint 

 tiat bottle is about right. The bottom should be 

 elevated a little, to give the water free passage; the 



cork, to have a crease cut in the side of it for the 

 water to flow out. I would further state, that the 

 water was placed on the hives the latter part of 

 March, and taken off during the last few days of 

 Apri', and it was all taken, except a very little in the 

 largest bottles. Isaac C. Carpenter. 



Cherry Creek, N. V., May 16, 1882. 



Here is something from friend Warstler, 

 on the same subject : — 



My bees had a nice fly for a few days, and carried 

 in water and a little flour that I gave them. They 

 look very healthy. I looked in; my lightest have 

 lots of honey. Well, that shows that bees want 

 water in winter. If you had seen me last winter 

 watering my bees every time they got restless you 

 would say that 1 was doing like the man with the 

 umbrf Ua — holding it over his ducks in the pond 

 during a rain shower. I told you, in a previous let- 

 ter, that I would lot you know how 1 watered my 

 bees. Well, every time they got restless, and were 

 coming out as tbey did, I would get cotton batting 

 and put it at the entrance so it would close about 

 half; then I wciili take soft water, milk warm, and 

 keep putting it on every 10 to 15 minutes, or as soon 

 as it commenced freezing, and, oh how the little 

 chaps did hum and take up the water ! Well, you 

 may think it don't pay, but it paid me well. 



H. L. Warstler. 



St. Johns, Clinton Co., Mich., Feb. 17, 1883. 



GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS. 



The queen I bought of you began to lay in two 

 days after she was let loose with the bees. The 

 first day's laying she did was by laying 3 eggs in ev- 

 ery cell, all in drone-cells; second day's work, two 

 eggs in every cell: third day, began to lay one egg 

 in each cell, worker as well as drone. What do j'ou 

 suppose was the cause? 



a stubborn colonv. 



I took some o;' her new-laid eggs and gave to a 

 very strong colonj' of hybrids that have been very 

 cross all the spring, having killed their queen sev- 

 eral days ago, first df stroj ing all the cells that were 

 started from the hybrid queen. They were so mad 

 and stubborn they carried out ev^ery egg that was 

 in the nice frame I gave them. Two days after, I 

 gave them two capped queen-cells; they also tore 

 those down, and now they have nothing but capped 

 brood. What do you think was the cause? 



LAW AGAINST KILLING BIRDS. 



Is there any law to hinder a man from killing bee- 

 eating lii.ds? King-birds are very thick here. I 

 have shot a great many. Some people have set up 

 those martin houses, and the birds are very thick in 

 this place; because I have shot some, quite a little 

 talk has been made to put a stop to it. Can it be 

 done? and do you think they kill very many bees ? 

 James Kichards. 



Milford, Jefferson Co., Wis , June 5, 1882. 



Queens often commence laying in the way 

 you have mentioned, and they do so at tlieir 

 first laying, as well as after a long trip. Do 

 not be in haste about condemning a queen. 

 — After your stubborn colony has hatched 

 all its brood, they will usually take a cell, or 

 start brood from anylarvse you give them. — 

 I feel pretty sure tlie law would not touch 

 you for killing any wild birds that you could 

 show were doing you a damage. Both mar- 

 tins and king-birds may do you considerable 

 injury. 



